Listen to your uncle Steve, dont give up because you will regret it ,maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow but soon and for the rest of your life ( if in doubt quote Casablanca ) seriously though dont listen to people who say crap like give it up - the best advice I can give is learn to walk before you run - passing a test is just the beginning the main thing about riding is taking it easy and gain experience , things will become second nature and you will wonder what the problem was and don't worry everyone has doubts about their abilities to do things from time to time ( including motorcycling ) its the human condition mate, so get back in the saddle and look after yourself,cheers Steve
"...My solution is to work on my cornering with a professional until I feel confident..."Sounds like a job for David Beckham, he rides bikes and i've heard his cornering skills are excellent
In reality I think the speed I was going was fine, I just freaked about the physics and the sharpness of the corner and boom, I'd gone.
Quote from: simonm on 07 April 2013, 10:18:29 amIn reality I think the speed I was going was fine, I just freaked about the physics and the sharpness of the corner and boom, I'd gone. What I get from this sentence is that the speed was fine for the bike and it could have made the turn BUT you were going too fast for YOU. Just because the bike can make a turn at a certain speed doesn't mean it should be at the limit all the time. It is good to find where abouts the limit is etc but that is for learning on a racetrack/ training track day like california superbike school. My advice would be to save your money for a little while though and just slow down overall. If you want to go faster then give yourself time and get miles under your belt and build up the speed slowly so that you don't have those freak out moments. Keep watching the twist of the wrist and any other bike riding info you can and go out and try things SLOWLY and build up the speed SLOWLY. Just because you get a corner right at 30 and your technique is perfect the same corner at 40 or 50 or 60 might be possible for the bike but it will feel very different and your technique might not be able to cope. So if you do the corner 100 times and gradually build up the speed then your technique will grow and adapt as the speed increases. Take your time and enjoy being out on the bike, keep the speed down everywhere and you'll not end up freaking out when a corner tightens up on you or a car does something unexpected around you or the lights change but you can't stop in time or a kid runs out in front of you... with good technique all these situations can be avoided or dealt with without going rubber side up but if you haven't taken the time to learn the principles of how the bike reacts to inputs then it''ll chuck you off. Being relaxed is difficult when you get a fright or feel uncomfortable but it is so important, it helps you stay smooth with your inputs to the bike (throttle, lean angle of both bike and rider, pressure on pegs, steering, braking pressure etc). Using smooth inputs won't unsettle the bike and will mean the tyres aren't having to work so hard even if they are leaned right over. Sorry for the tomb to read. Take care and take it easy. Chris
Quote from: simonm on 07 April 2013, 08:21:37 amQuote from: red98 on 07 April 2013, 08:17:58 amsome good advise there simonm,take no notice of the pm..theres always one .....we have all been in that situation before hence all the advice,after a long winter lay up i do it myself a couple of times untill i get back in my stride,3/4 years ago i did a bike safe refresher course with local council/police all stuff i already new but nice to have a reminder.....road position also very important,use the whole width even the over side when its safe to do so ......good luck with whatever you decide to do The PM was just a joke. Twas funny from both sides methinks ;-)I might have a word with the local bodyshop and see if the dent can be pulled out of the tank easily or not. The fairing is pretty narfed but may be fibreglassable. Maybe this is the time to give the bike a respray, maybe with a funky purple flip if I can afford one.Simon....Glad your ok, man. Just something to consider and I risk getting scorned for this.....Keep an open mind about the comandarie advice & support to get back in the saddle. There is great support here for you to carry on. I personally wouldn't offer advice either way. Although the intentions are good, guys should be careful about giving that advice because it is quite possible also too that you are one of those people who are just not cut out to ride a bike. There are such people. So this well intentioned advice and support to get back in the saddle has the potential to actually kill you!!.....thats what you need to keep an open mind about. Only you can determine that decision from the bottom of your soul and with all honesty. I know a lot of people who got into bikes (for whatever reasons) and who have since walked away because they just weren't cut out for it. My bro-in-law walked away after a few falls just like you into corners. He had professional training and everything before and after his spills. He eventually was open and honest with himself and walked away. He just could not get his head around the fear factor of riding....simple as that. It didn't matter even when he was doing things correctly or how much professional biking help he got. His head was not geared for riding a bike. He is very happy now and have no regrets. So am I and his family because I have a gut feeling if he persisted in trying, he would have been killed eventually. Biking is meant to be a pleasurable experience. On top of that and I can only speak for myself, I also knew instantly (despite the dangers) that "this was for me". I had a sorta inner grin from day one and nothing wouldn't extinguish it. I guess what i'm trying to say is that you either "have it" or you don't. I also have seen through my experiences that not everyone posses "that feeling" and may not acquire that feeling even after some formal professional training or moral support. Another example of this is when both my bosses bought "his & hers" bikes with this "Route 66-come-easy rider fantasy" that they had in their heads. They had all the training that money could buy and the best of bikes and gear at their disposal. Both their bikes are gathering dust ever since. They rode locally for a day of too and it just wasn't the experience that they had dreamt up in their heads....far from it. They found it to be a frightful, intimidating and dangerous experience. Again...you either "have it" or you don't IMO....and only you know that. All the training, talking and well intentioned back slapping won't give it to you....actually, it might have the opposite effect and have the potential to keep you locked into something that maybe you shouldn't be in and it could kill you.From what i'm hearing from your quote below and especially the stuff I highlighted in green.....Your experiences have alarm bells written all over it. Hope I haven't offended you or anyone else with my opinions, and apologies in advance if I have. I am just more concerned about your safety."I get a massive sensory overload which I can handle most of the time until I look at a corner and think I'm going too fast for this corner I need to lose speed. In reality I think the speed I was going was fine, I just freaked about the physics and the sharpness of the corner and boom, I'd gone.The tyres and tread on a motorbike scare me.The road scares me(gravel, oil, rain, camber, potholes, diesel and huge lumps of concrete)."
Quote from: red98 on 07 April 2013, 08:17:58 amsome good advise there simonm,take no notice of the pm..theres always one .....we have all been in that situation before hence all the advice,after a long winter lay up i do it myself a couple of times untill i get back in my stride,3/4 years ago i did a bike safe refresher course with local council/police all stuff i already new but nice to have a reminder.....road position also very important,use the whole width even the over side when its safe to do so ......good luck with whatever you decide to do The PM was just a joke. Twas funny from both sides methinks ;-)I might have a word with the local bodyshop and see if the dent can be pulled out of the tank easily or not. The fairing is pretty narfed but may be fibreglassable. Maybe this is the time to give the bike a respray, maybe with a funky purple flip if I can afford one.
some good advise there simonm,take no notice of the pm..theres always one .....we have all been in that situation before hence all the advice,after a long winter lay up i do it myself a couple of times untill i get back in my stride,3/4 years ago i did a bike safe refresher course with local council/police all stuff i already new but nice to have a reminder.....road position also very important,use the whole width even the over side when its safe to do so ......good luck with whatever you decide to do
stick to your own pace, dont ride with anyone else and stay off the back brake! i only use the front brake, bad habit i know. but using the back on a bend is asking for trouble. after i passes my test centuries ago, i only used the back. gradually, and like yourself, several offs, i realised that i should start using mainly the front. still had a few offs since though, so youre in good company.
Quote from: caretaker on 07 April 2013, 02:51:59 pmstick to your own pace, dont ride with anyone else and stay off the back brake! i only use the front brake, bad habit i know. but using the back on a bend is asking for trouble. after i passes my test centuries ago, i only used the back. gradually, and like yourself, several offs, i realised that i should start using mainly the front. still had a few offs since though, so youre in good company. Why do you say this bud? On the approach to a corner I use BOTH brakes, I DONT USE ANY BRAKES ONCE CORNERING but if I had to, it would be gently with the back brake as it overloads the front tyre less... Infact once cornering the front tyre is heavily loaded already and using the front brake on top of this is very bad advice mate..
I admire packies honesty, perhaps not what you,me or anyone wants to read but still very honest & the other half of the tale none the less.